Perth to Adelaide Overland

Days

9

Price from

$1,595AUD

Encounter the best of Australian wildlife on this expansive trip across the Nullabor

This country’s made for road trips, and crossing South Australia’s vast Nullarbor Plain is just about as iconic as they come. Grab your Outback hat and strap in for a 10-day Overland adventure from Perth to Adelaide. This is your chance to get up close to that famous Aussie native wildlife – kangaroos, wombats, emus, rare birds and maybe even dingo in remote natural parks, or to swim with dolphins and sea lions. Enjoy iconic bush landscapes and take in stunning coastal scenery as you head from Western to Southern Australia, through Red Gums and sand dunes, dropping by natural wonders and kicking back in character-filled Aussie pubs. Whichever way you look, this wild, nature-filled land will knock your socks off.

Perth to Adelaide Overland

Encounter the best of Australian wildlife on this expansive trip across the Nullabor

This country’s made for road trips, and crossing South Australia’s vast Nullarbor Plain is just about as iconic as they come. Grab your Outback hat and strap in for a 10-day Overland adventure from Perth to Adelaide. This is your chance to get up close to that famous Aussie native wildlife – kangaroos, wombats, emus, rare birds and maybe even dingo in remote natural parks, or to swim with dolphins and sea lions. Enjoy iconic bush landscapes and take in stunning coastal scenery as you head from Western to Southern Australia, through Red Gums and sand dunes, dropping by natural wonders and kicking back in character-filled Aussie pubs. Whichever way you look, this wild, nature-filled land will knock your socks off.

Start

Perth,
Australia

Finish

Adelaide,
Australia

Destination

Western Australia,
Outback,
West Coast,
Southern Ocean,
South Australia

Style

Basix

Theme

Overland

Code

PA9

Physical rating

Ages

Min
8

Group size

Min
1, Max
21

Why you'll love this trip

Explore Wave Rock and the Darling Ranges

Travel across the vast plains of the Nullarbor

Go swimming with dolphins on the Eyre Peninsula

Spot unique Australian wildlife

Discover the mighty Flinders Ranges in South Australia

Visit the delightful city of Adelaide

Is this trip right for you?

This is a basic trip with few facilities. Most nights are swag camping with basic toilet and bathroom facilities. We camp in National Parks.

Australia is a really big country - it's important to appreciate the landscape for it's vastness

Many camp sites have no electricity. Its a good idea to bring a power bank or spare camera batteries. Mobile phone coverage and internet signal is few and far between on this trip - enjoy some time detached from the rest of the world!

Welcome to Perth, a sleek, modern waterfront city with a sunny outlook. Be sure to spend a few extra days here if you have them. With its parks, beaches and flourishing restaurant scene, this is a state capital easy on the eye and stacked with attractions. Hitting the road east across the Darling Ranges, first stop is a coffee break in the historic township of York, WA’s oldest inland town. A bit more driving and you’ll be eating lunch in the shadow of Wave Rock. By late afternoon, we’ll have arrived in Fitzgerald River National Park.

Approx travel 10 hours with stops along the way. Walking time is about an hour.

Accommodation

Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities

Fitzgerald River National Park Entrance Fees

Wave Rock

Meals Included

Begin the morning with a brisk hike up East Mt Baron, one of the three quartzite peaks that make up the Barren Range. Legs stretched, we’ll take the coastal route into Esperance for a coffee break and mosey around. Good cafes from this point on in the journey are relatively few and far between, so be sure to enjoy that cappuccino.

Enter Cape le Grand National Park, a beautiful stretch of West Australian coastline. The ocean here is practically transparent, the local eastern grey ‘roos are out in force, and the sand at Lucky Bay has twice been judged Australia’s whitest. This is where we camp for the night, but before then, a free afternoon here is all yours to enjoy.

Approx travel 2.5 hours with stops along the way. Walking time is about 3 hours.

Accommodation

Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities

Cape Le Grand National Park Entrance Fees

East Mt Baron Hike

Meals Included

If you didn’t chance to spot any ‘roos yesterday, early morning’s a prime time to potter down to the beach and see what’s hopping about. There’s also the option of doing the hike up to Frenchman’s Peak, which offers sweeping views across the inlets and islands of the Recherche Archipelago. After lunch we’ll be hitting the Eyre Highway.

Driving time is about 5 hours today, and walking time is about 1 hour.

Accommodation

Bush camp (no facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities

Frenchmen's Peak Hike

Meals Included

Driving’s the name of the game today (we’ve got 500 kilometres of the world’s longest stretch of straight road to cover).

The name ‘Nullarbor’ is derived from the Latin for ‘No Trees’, so vegetation – along with pretty much everything else – is one thing you shouldn’t expect to see today. Some find the drive tedious; some find the vast desolation strangely transfixing. However, appearances can be deceiving; below this barren and dry limestone plain lies Australia’s largest underground lake system. We’ll make a stop at Eucla, an old telegraph township now mostly buried beneath sand dunes, then call in for a night’s camping at Koonalda Homestead.

Travel time today is about 4.5 hours.

Accommodation

Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)

Meals Included

Notable stops for today include the highway’s famous Camels/Kangaroos/Wombats Crossing road sign and the Bunda cliffs, where the Nullarbor Plain drops dramatically into the Southern Ocean. Running for approximately 100 kilometres along the Great Australian Bight, this is the world’s longest uninterrupted line of sea cliffs.

We’ll cross the Dingo Fence – at 5,614 kilometres, the world’s longest fence – and enter the Yalata Aboriginal lands. In the afternoon we’ll visit the Ceduna Arts and Cultural Centre, where you’ll hear a bit about the styles and meanings of Indigenous artwork. After stocking up on supplies in Streaky Bay, we’ll arrive at Coodlie Park bush camp – a working farm retreat that boasts its own private beach and offers an insight into the demands of rural living.

Today we travel for approximately 8 hours with stops along the way.

Accommodation

Bush camp (no facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities

Ceduna Arts & Cultural Centre

Meals Included

The clear waters off Baird Bay, a small fishing village located on the Eyre Peninsula, are a favoured haunt of sea lions and bottlenose dolphins. And, if you’ve signed up in advance, this morning you’ll get to join them for a dip (please note: the Baird Bay Eco-tour is an optional outing you’ll need to book before your Perth to Adelaide Overland adventure begins. Those who choose to stay high and dry will have the morning at their leisure.

Following on from a picnic lunch, we’ll continue to Murphy’s Haystacks, a collection of bizarrely warped inselberg rock formations. Final stops for the day are the Talia Caves (gigantic caverns carved into the coastal cliffs) and the Lake Newland Sand Dunes, where there’s the opportunity to try sand boarding. Then it’s back to Coodlie Park for another night.

We drive for about 3 hours today. Hours walked is about 1, with some swimming if you choose to as well.

Accommodation

Bush camp (no facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities

Murphy's Haystacks

Sandboarding at Lake Newland

Talia Caves

Optional Activities

Swim with Sea Lions and Dolphins - Port Neill - AUD170

Meals Included

This morning it’s back on the road for a final dose of some (very spectacular) coastal driving. Along the way, we’ll make a stop at Lock's Well, where a 283-step staircase down to the beach invites a beach stroll and the opportunity to admire the cliffs from below.

Following lunch in Port Lincoln, we’ll make the short drive on to our campsite in Mikkira. A working sheep station clustered with Manna Gums, this is a great spot for spying koalas in their native habitats and possibly the Port Lincoln parrot.

Driving is about four hours. Walking time is about 2 hours.

Accommodation

Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities

Lock's Well

Meals Included

You will visit Whalers Way Conservation Park for spectacular rugged coastline, Lincoln National Park walk Stamford Hill (where you’ll hopefully spot some kangaroos and emus), Fishers Bay and swimming in the pristine waters of the Southern Ocean.

We visit Wadlata Cultural Centre and have an interpretive walk through the life of the new frontier pioneers of South Australia.

Accommodation

Bush camp (no facilities) (1 night)

Included Activities

Glen Forest Wildlife Park

Lincoln National Park

Whalers Way Conservation Park

Meals Included

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Special Information

You may notice businesses offering an optional 'Great White shark cage diving' experience. We ask all Intrepid travellers to avoid this activity as it is contrary to our Responsible Travel policy. While wildlife viewing is a big part of many of our itineraries, we strive to only view animals in their natural habitats without attracting animals into contact with people.

Read more about animal welfare and our ‘Born to Live Wild’ pledge here:
http://www.intrepidtravel.com/animal-welfare

We’re on the home stretch now – and the entrance into Adelaide provides a fitting finale. Winding through the ridges and gullies of Flinders Ranges National Park, you’ll see a very different side of South Australia from the Nullarbor. We visit Wadlata Cultural Centre and have an interpretive walk through the life of the new frontier pioneers of South Australia.

This overland adventure ends up on arrival in Adelaide. There’s no accommodation provided tonight, but give us a call if you’d like to book in some extra nights. With its attractive foreshore and nearby vineyards, Adelaide’s well worth some additional days.

Days

9

Price from

$1,595AUD

Encounter the best of Australian wildlife on this expansive trip across the Nullabor

This country’s made for road trips, and crossing South Australia’s vast Nullarbor Plain is just about as iconic as they come. Grab your Outback hat and strap in for a 10-day Overland adventure from Perth to Adelaide. This is your chance to get up close to that famous Aussie native wildlife – kangaroos, wombats, emus, rare birds and maybe even dingo in remote natural parks, or to swim with dolphins and sea lions. Enjoy iconic bush landscapes and take in stunning coastal scenery as you head from Western to Southern Australia, through Red Gums and sand dunes, dropping by natural wonders and kicking back in character-filled Aussie pubs. Whichever way you look, this wild, nature-filled land will knock your socks off.

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Important notes

1. Please bring your own sleeping bag, this is not available for hire or purchase on the trip.
2. Swimming with sealions and dolphins can be reserved in advance to secure your place, and paid locally
3. Please note this trip starts early on day 1 at approx 6.45am and finishes late on day 9 at approx 6.30pm.
4. This trip is basix swag camping

Essential trip information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.